Eugène Borel was a Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council

Swiss Federal Council

The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....

 (1872-1875).

Early life

He was born in Neuchâtel to François-Victor and Louise Borel. He was educated at the humanistic high school in Neuchâtel and then studied the law in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 and Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

. After finishing his studies he worked as a lawyer in Neuchâtel. In 1861 he married Marie Gullaume.

Borel became an auditor and translator in the National Council of Switzerland

National Council of Switzerland

The National Council of Switzerland is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. With 200 seats, it is the larger of the two houses....

 in 1860. In 1870 he was elected inquisitor for western Switzerland by the federal court

Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland

The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland is the supreme court of Switzerland. It is located in Lausanne.According to the Constitution of Switzerland, the court has jurisdiction over violations of:*federal law;*public international law;*intercantonal law;...

.

Politics

In 1857 he was elected into the legislative branch (Generalrat) of the city of Neuchâtel for the radical party, which is now the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland

Free Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....

. He was elected to the city council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

 in 1864, to the Grand Council

Grand Council of Neuchâtel

The Grand Council of Neuchâtel is the legislature of the canton of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. Neuchâtel, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 115 seats, with members elected every four years....

 of the canton of Neuchâtel

Canton of Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel is a canton of French speaking western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.-History:...

 and in 1865 he became a member of the State Council (Staatsrat) where he headed the military department from 1865 to 1870 and the department of justice from 1870 to 1872.

In 1865 he was elected to the Swiss Council of States

Swiss Council of States

The Council of States of Switzerland is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, and is considered the Assembly's upper house. There are 46 Councillors....

 which he presided in 1869. He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 7, 1872 with 37 years. During his office time he held the Department of Posts and Telegraph. He was a key player in the founding of the Universal Postal Union

Universal Postal Union

The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...

 (UPU) with the Treaty of Bern

Treaty of Bern

The Treaty of Bern, signed in 1874, established the General Postal Union, which is today known as the Universal Postal Union.Named for the Swiss city of Bern, where it was signed, the treaty was the result of an international conference convened by the Swiss Government on September 15, 1874. It was...

 in 1874. Borel became the first directory of the UPU and therefore resigned from his job as a federal councilor and handed over office on December 31, 1875 to his successor.

In 1889 there was a big unrest in Ticino

Ticino

Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...

. Borel was sent there and, together with troops from Zürich

Zürich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

, he managed to restore order.

Borel headed the UPU until his death in 1892.

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